Excerpts
Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York City on an affordability platform that included free child care for every child from 6 weeks to 5 years old.
It is an ambitious and expensive plan that could take years to put into effect.
The mayor appeared with Gov. Kathy Hochul just over a week into his term to outline their plans to expand free child care this year. Ms. Hochul and Mr. Mamdani, who are Democrats and political allies, said they would stabilize the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds and start free child care for 2-year-olds, calling it “2-Care.”
Polls have found that the idea is broadly popular in the state. Many families pay more than $20,000 per child each year for day care — their largest expense besides housing.
New York City already offers free preschool for many 3- and 4-year-olds. If the program expands successfully to younger children, it could serve as a national model.
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The program will start in “high-need” neighborhoods and expand to all families with 2-year-olds over the next four years. Ms. Hochul said the state would pay for the first two years of the program, including $75 million this year.
Younger children could come later. Mr. Mamdani has said that expanding free child care to all children under 5 could eventually cost $6 billion per year.
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There are major questions over how much to pay workers and whether to include home-based day care centers and care provided by family members.
Mr. Mamdani has said that he wants to subsidize child care at home for families who “prefer to have a trusted neighbor or relative take care of their child,” meaning an aunt or a grandparent could be paid to watch a child in their family.
On Thursday, he said that home-based day care centers would be an important part of the program and that it would include “children with disabilities and children who live in our shelters.”
Julie Menin, the City Council speaker who appeared at the announcement with Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Hochul, said in an interview that she wanted to consider changing some regulations, such as a requirement that child care centers be on the ground floor.
“I’m deeply committed to universal child care,” she said. “There is a tremendous amount we can do legislatively.”
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